JERUSALEM – Houthis fire ballistic missile toward central Israel, IDF teaches Yemen a lesson
BREAKING
A wave of airstrikes in Yemen is continuing following the Houthi launch of a missile at Tel Aviv. Reportedly power plants in Sanaa have been targeted resulting in widespread power outages.
Via: @inside_IL_intel pic.twitter.com/dth43ZHBjE
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 19, 2024
Millions of Israelis were provided an unwelcome alarm call early Thursday morning as incoming rocket alert sirens sent citizens scurrying to safe rooms and protected areas.
According to a statement by the Israel Defense Force, dozens of Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft participated in the strikes in Yemen, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel, reported the Times of Israel. The Houthi targets were struck at the Hodeida port — which Israel has struck twice before — and for the first time, in the rebel-held capital Sana’a, the IDF said.
U.S. warns ISIS prison break in Syria could unleash terrorist army on Middle East
ISIS jailbreak in Syria?
Thousands of ISIS fighters and their families remain in makeshift prisons run by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces with limited resources, as their home countries refuse to repatriate them. pic.twitter.com/5opXMIZBa7
— Zineb Riboua (@zriboua) December 18, 2024
Amid the fallout from the crumbling of the Assad regime in Syria, U.S. officials warned Wednesday that thousands of ISIS prisoners held in makeshift jails run by Kurdish forces with limited resources could overpower their captors and begin to flood out across the Middle East.
According to Daily Caller, which cited Politico, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) pushed hard into the territory of the U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who currently hold 9,000 ISIS soldiers and 50,000 others in shoddily secured detention centers. If the SNA attacks do not cease, an army-sized ISIS force might be let out of detention and cause a resurgence in the terrorist group.
“I usually hate this cliche, but this is the closest thing we have to a ticking time bomb,” a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said. “If Turkey doesn’t get these attacks on the [Syrian Democratic Forces] halted, we could have a massive jailbreak on our hands.”
Human Rights Watch jumps on Amnesty bandwagon accuses Israel of ‘genocide,’ reanimates ancient blood libel
Human Rights Watch – like Amnesty International – has been taken over by anti-western, antisemitic, ideologies – and is run by people who will spread lies to help weaken the west and demonise Israel.
Here is some more of their crap.https://t.co/MLdzblf3gO
— David Collier (@mishtal) December 19, 2024
Not content to be outdone by Amnesty International’s recent report on the so-called “genocide” taking place in Gaza due to allegedly deliberate starvation, another non-governmental organization – this time Human Rights Watch (HRW) – has reanimated an ancient blood libel and accused the IDF of intentionally dehydrating Gazans.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oren Marmorstein responded to a Human Rights Watch report with withering contempt. “Here are the facts,” he said. “Since the beginning of the war, Israel has facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite operating under constant attacks from the Hamas terrorist organization. Israel has ensured water infrastructure, including the continued operation of four water pipelines and water pumping & desalination facilities, which remain operational,” reported Israel National News.
Shin Bet sounds alarm over scale of Iranian espionage in Israel
The Shin Bet raised concerns regarding what extent Iran has attempted to infiltrate Israel after the security agency uncovered 12 espionage cases involving Israeli citizens working for Iran.https://t.co/NuZ8VKLxCP
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) December 18, 2024
Over the last several months, Israel’s security services – the Shin Bet most prominently among them – have successfully busted a number of individuals and couples who have been co opted to spy on Iran’s behalf, usually via some kind of social media.
According to a report in The Jerusalem Post, the 12 cases it has uncovered are unprecedented. Even during the Iron Curtain era, Soviet intelligence agencies did not operate such a large number of spies in Israel, and there were certainly no Israeli citizens who chose to betray their country and spy for the enemy.
The Shin Bet has also been troubled by the fact that the Iranians do not recruit spies based on a particular profile. “We see a variety of citizens being recruited for espionage tasks by Iran, ranging from ultra-Orthodox citizens, new immigrants, minorities, and citizens leading ordinary secular bourgeois lifestyles,” said a security official.
HTS leader calls on international community to lift Syria sanctions
Al-Qaeda’s Julani Pushes for Terror List Removal
Julani met UK diplomats to lift sanctions off his group, HTS, labeled as terror since 2017.
In an interview, he argued their designation as inappropriate, urging the removal of restrictions.
UK considering removing… pic.twitter.com/9OHWqsoBai
— ZeroHedge Notes (@ZeroHedgeNotes) December 19, 2024
Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Al-Julani said Syria is exhausted by war and the rebels pose no threat to the West or any of Syria’s neighbors, reported Israeli news outlet Ynet. Al-Sharaa, who led the rebel force that took down the regime of Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive earlier this month said in an interview to the BBC that sanctions against Syria should be lifted.
“Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime. The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way,” he said.
He also said that his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) should be taken off the list of terrorist organizations, claiming it did not target civilians or civilian areas and were themselves the victims of Assad’s cruelty.
U.S. lawmakers threaten Turkey with sanctions if it invades Kurdish-held areas of northeastern Syria
Prominent Republican and Democrat Senators threaten #Turkey with sanctions if Erdogan attacks the Kurds of #Syria. https://t.co/R4uOG9DtoJ pic.twitter.com/JQxhyVngEk
— Mike Kevrekidis (@Makis_Kevrekidi) December 19, 2024
Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are threatening sanctions against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unless Ankara forces Syrian opposition fighters into a ceasefire with U.S-backed Kurdish partners in the northeast of the country, according to The Hill.
The senators said they are prepared to introduce sanctions legislation this week against Turkey if Ankara does not immediately accept terms for a sustained ceasefire and demilitarized zone, as the country continues to roil from the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Israel democracy index shows waning public support in state institutions
In the midst of war, the 2024 Israeli Democracy Index found that most Israelis feel they can always count on their fellow citizens in times of trouble, and a majority think Israel is a good place to live.
The Israeli Democracy Index is IDI’s flagship project and has been… pic.twitter.com/1uN10bnueh
— Israel Democracy Institute (@IDIisrael) December 18, 2024
Even in the midst of war, the Israel Democracy Institute index 2024 found most Israelis feel they can always count on their fellow citizens in times of trouble, and a majority think Israel is a good place to live.
The latest edition shows trust in institutions at a critical low, while over 50% of Israelis think that civil society organizations do a better job than the state. The public’s perception of most issues remains divided between the political camps, with significant differences between Jewish and Arab Israelis on a variety of issues, including the greatest source of tension in society, and willingness to integrate.
The study showed that public trust in the government and the Knesset sank considerably in the wake of the catastrophic invasion and massacre perpetrated by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, but has since rallied to a certain extent.
Iran pauses implementation of draconian hijab legislation
ICYMI: The Islamic Republic has officially postponed the implementation of the controversial hijab law that imposes severe penalties on women and girls who defy veiling requirements, following huge backlash from the public and the international community.https://t.co/WTgSSukNpB
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) December 15, 2024
Iran’s National Security Council on December 16 paused the implementation of a controversial “Hijab and Chastity” law that would harshen the penalties against women who fail to comply with the Islamic regime’s draconian laws on wearing the hijab, or headscarf. The law, which Iran’s parliament approved in Sept. 2023, would have carried an $800 fine for the first offense, $1,500 for the second offense, and up to 15 years in prison for a third offense.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian was critical of the law, saying, “There are ambiguities about this law, which would not be easy to enforce,” and arguing as well that it “would undermine national solidarity,” reported the BBC.
The non-implementation of this law shows the Islamic regime in Iran is feeling somewhat jittery. If it was in full control, it would likely enforce the law the parliament had drawn up. The fact it has not might be testament to how much pressure is being exerted upon it on a number of domestic and foreign fronts.
Oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sells for over $5m
The oldest inscribed tablet of the Ten Commandments sold for $5.04 million at #SothebysNewYork today after over 10 minutes of bidding. #AuctionUpdate pic.twitter.com/QdldKSKdXx
— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) December 18, 2024
The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold for more than $5 million at an auction on Wednesday, according to the Times of Israel.
Sotheby’s said the 115-pound (52-kilogram) marble slab was acquired by an anonymous buyer who plans to donate it to an Israeli institution.
The New York-based auction house said the final price exceeded the presale estimate of $1 million to $2 million and followed more than 10 minutes of “intense bidding” during the global competition.
The tablet dates from 300 to 800 A.D.s and is inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script — the only complete example of its kind from antiquity, according to Sotheby’s.
